Burial vault



J. D. CANEDY BURIAL VAULT Nov. 7, 1933.

Filed Dec. l5, 1932 Patented Nov. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICEWeli Steel Vault Company, Oneida, N. corporation of New York ApplicationDecember 15, 1932 Serial No. 647,374

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a burial vault involving the use of twoinverted box-like sections of sheet steel or equivalent material havingtheir body portions telescopically assembled one Within the other andtheir lower edges provided with outturned overlapping iiange-s adaptedto be clamped upon an interposed gasket or packing to form an air-tightand liquidtight joint, said sections being of relatively differentheights to form an intervening chamber of sufficient capacity to receivea burial casket, not shown.

The main object is to provide simple and efficient means whereby themere act of assembling the two sections hermetically seals the vaultagainst the entrance of moisture from without and also against the exitof vitiated air or gas from within.

One of the specic objects is to construct the main bodies of thesections in such manner that, when assembled, they will form anintervening relatively narrow sump chamber extending entirely around thesides and ends of the bottom section in open communication with thecasket-receiving chamber for receiving any liquid which may accumulatewithin the vault and thereby to additionally seal the joint against theescape of gases from within.

Another object is to clamp the flanges on the lower edges of the vaultsections by meansof a multiplicity of clamps, each of which is pivotedto the lower flanges to swing to and from a position above the upperilange so that when released from their locking positions, the sectionsmay be separated one from the otherby vertical displacement of one ofthe sections.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the vault will bebrought out in the following description.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a burial vault embodying the variousfeatures of my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view of the samevault.

Figure 3 is a further enlarged detail horizontal sectional view throughone side of the vault just above the flanges taken on line 3 3, Figure4, showing more particularly one of the clamping devices in operativeposition except that one end oi the clamping lever is shown in section,the dotted lines indicating the different positions of the clampingdevice and lever.

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view, partlybroken away, taken on line 4 4, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a detail vertical sectional View taken on line 5 5, Figure3, showing one of the clamping devices in operative position, the

dotted line indicating the released position of the cam lever.

Figure 6 is a perspective view from the underside of one corner of afragmentary portion of one of the lower corners of the vault, with oneof the clamping devices in operative position.

Figure "I is a perspective view of one of the detached clamping devices.

As illustrated, this vault comprises lower and upper inverted box-likesections 1 and 2 of sheet steel or other suitable material, the bottomsection l being relatively shallow vertically as compared with theheight of the top section 2 which extends a sufficient distance abovethetop of the bottom section 1 to form an intervening casket-receivingchamber 3.

These sections 1 and 2 are adapted to be telescopically assembled oneWithin the other so that the lower portions oi the side and end walls ofthe upper section 2 may extend entirely around the corresponding sideand end walls of the bottom section 1. 4

The lower edges of the side and end walls of both sections are providedrespectively with outturned marginal flanges 4 and 5 arranged inoverlapping relation for engaging the lower and upper faces of aninterposed gasket or packing member 6 of rubber or other suitablematerial.

The horizontal area oi the body portion of the section 1 is appreciablyless than that of the interior of the adjacent portion of the uppersection 2 to form an intervening relatively narrow sump chamber I inopen communication with'the casket-receiving chamber 3 for receiving anyliquid which may tend to accumulate within the interior of the vault andthereby to lprovide a liquid seal for the joint between the flanges 4and 5 to prevent the escape of vitiated air or gases from the interiorof the vault to the exterior thereof, it being understood that when theflanges 4 and 5 are `iirmly tightened upon the gasket 6, it willhermetically seal the joint against the entrance of moisture from theexterior to the interior of the vault.`

It will also be noted that any liquid which may tend to accumulatewithin the vault will be precipitated into the sump chamber Tl andtrapped therein between the packing 6 and Superposed volume oi air,thereby hermetically sealing the joint between the flanges 4 and 5 andalso preventing excessive rise of the liquid in the chamber 7 by reasonof the resistance to compression of the air in the chamber 3.

In other words, the chamber 7 is of sufficient capacity to receive anyliquid which may be liberated from the body in the casket within thechamber 3 without liability of returning into the casket.

Aside from the joint between the flanges 4 and 5. of the sections 1 andr.2, these sections are The top and side walls of the section 1 may bemade of a single piece of sheet metal while the end sections may be madeof separate pieces of sheet metal welded or otherwise permanentlysecured to the adjacent'ends of the top and side sections to formair-tight and liquidtight joints therewith.

In like manner, the top and side walls of the upper section 2 may bemade of a single piece of sheet metal while the end walls may be made inseparate pieces, welded or otherwise perinanently secured to theadjacent ends of the side and end walls to form air-tight andliouid--tight joints therewith.

It will, therefore, be noted that top, side and end Walls of eachsection are in eifect integral structures and in some instances may bemade of cast metal to avoid perforations or joints other than the joint`between the two sections.

The lower edges of the sections 1 and 2 are clamped together by amultiplicity of lseparate clamping units 8 arranged at suitableintervals along the flanges 4 and 5 and each consisting of an angularmember 9 and a cam lever 1i).

The angular member 9 is provided with a horizontally extending flange 11and an upright post 12 extending upwardly from one end of the flange 11in offset relation thereto, as shown more clearly in Figure 7.

The horizontal flange 11 has a i'lat upper face engaging the lower faceof the bottom flange of the lower vault section 1 and has its other endpivoted at 13 to the flange 4 to swing about a vertical axis.

The upper end of the post 12 is offset inwardly to overhang the adjacent'end of the horizontal flange 1l and is provided with a' tance betweenthe pivot 13 and outer edgesv of the ilanges /i and 5 so that when tl:ping device 9 is rocked from its locking sinon shown in Figure 3,through an arc ci a `o imately 9) degrees, as shown by dotted lines .loFigure 3, its post 12 and cam lever 10 will be brought beyond the outeredge of the adjacent portions of the flanges 4 and 5 to allow the se"-tions l and 2 to be displaced vertically one from the other.

The several clamping devices are, therefore,

pivotally mounted upon the outturned flanges of the lower section 1 tobe carried thereby, the portion of each member 9 at the junction of Jtheange 11 with the post 12 being deflected downwardly to form bearing feetl5 adapted to rest upon a floor or other support, saidbearing feethaving their lower faces rounded to enable the vault to be easily movedback and forth along Vand upon the floor.

Furthermore, by providing the members 9 with the feet 15 the latterserve to hold the flanges 4 of the floor so that straps or other devicesmay be placed under the vault for attachment to a lowering devicecommonly used for lowering the vault with the casket therein into thegrave. 1t will be noted upon reference to Figure 2 that the portions `ofthe side and end walls of the section 2 between the lower flanges 5 andlevel of the top wall of the section 1 are slightly deflected outwardlyat l and that the corresponding side and end walls of the section l arealso similarly inclined downwardly and outwardly to enable the topsection to be more easily centered around and upon the inner sectionwhen asseinblingthose sections.

Operation When assembling the section 2 upon the section 1, the lattermay be temporarily supported h time the clamping members 9 with thelevers 1) ther on will be rocked outwardly to the positions indicated bydotted lines in Figure 3, whereupon the gasket 6 will be placed upon theupper face of the lower marginal flange e.

The inverted top section 2 is then placed around and upon the upper faceof the gasket 6 with its lower ,rginal flange 5 resting thereon and theouter edges of the flanges brought into vertical alinernent.

The 'clamping members 9 will then be returned positions, as shown byfull e 3, thus bringing the cam lever ectly over the marginal flange 9of the section 2.

The cam levers 10 are then rocked about the axes of their spectivepivots14 to bring their cams into clarr Jing e agement with the flanges 5,thereby dra. lboth of the flanges i and 5 toward' each other upon thegasket 6 with suf iicient firmness to hermetically seal the joint.

in orde-ri to separate the sections 1 and 2, it simply necessary toreverse the operation of the cani lever 1G to itsl released position andthen to swing the member 9 about the :iis of the pivot 13 until the post12 is brought beyond the outer edges oi the flanges i and 5, therebyreleasing the flanges from engagement with the 61 perinitting-,thAsections 1 and 2 to be separated by vertical displacement.

construction shown and described is particularly simple practical andefficient, but obviously various changes may be made in the structuraldetails without departing from thel spirit of the invention. v

What claim is:

The combination with a burial vault having inverted bottom and topboiolike sections telescopically assembled and having their lower edgesprovided with overlapping outturned mar ginal vices for `drawing theflanges toward each other, each clamping device comprising a verticalpost portion, a horizontal flange portion, and a ioot portion unitingthe lower end of the post p0rtionto the flange portion and extendingdownwardly some distance below said flange portion, and a lever pivotedto the upper end or" the post portion to Yoverhang the flange portion.

JOHN D. CANEDY.

of a multiplicity of clamping dene bottoni upon any suitable supports at

